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It is looking like I will need different backgrounds for different woods.
My goal is photos that will come as close as possible to show true coloring of the wood and not wash out the figure.
I should probably learn to use my camera correctly.
I have a Canon SX30IS. Not a great camera but I should be able to get better photos than I have in the past.

Achieving true coloring (I mean TRUE coloring) isn't easy. It actually would require a pretty special setup with calibrated light/camera/monitor. That would be necessary for magazines or other printed materials, but for the internet, where most of us are using uncalibrated monitors/phones to browse photos true coloring isn't the thing to pursue.

When shooting objects with semi-gloss or glossy surfaces, the reflected surface becomes very important. If you put the pieces against a white wall and photograph at an oblique angle, you're really photographing the reflection of the wall on the surface of the wood. Depending on the material, sometimes a white surface works better for drawing out details, and sometimes a black or grey suface works better.

Don't worry too much about the camera. Softboxes work sometimes when controlling shadows and point reflections, but any good light source and an appropriate reflecting surface are usually all you need.

Thank You for the input Anton and Robert.
I have tried a light box and that worked well for straight grained, non figured woods.
With most of the figured woods that have a lot of chatoyance the multidirectional light can wash out the figure.
As an example a piece of curly koa can show very bold figure when the light hits from one direction. Then from a different angle it can show much more subdued.
So for me it is kind of a balancing act to show the grain clearly, the colors as close to true as possible and still show the figure.
Yesterday I tried using the camera closer on macro and a burlap background. Looked a little better.
For lights I am using those 100w daylight curled flourescent bulbs in a aluminum bowl type reflector.

I have tried the different white balance settings on the camera and seem to get the best results using the setting that automatically adjusts the white balance.
I don't have real photo processing software, just the free version of IrfanView.
I do adjust the contrast to try to match the piece in hand with the image on my computer.